5 Things I Wish I Knew Before Starting Critical Role (From a First-Time Viewer)

A newbie’s guide to surviving, understanding, and actually enjoying the chaos.

Jumping into Critical Role can feel like starting a new campaign where everyone already knows the lore, the memes, and the inside jokes and you're still trying to figure out who this “Scanlan” guy is and why he’s singing about butts.

Whether you're here because of Vox Machina on Amazon Prime or you're a podcast completionist starting Campaign One from episode 1 (much respect), here are five things I wish someone had told me before I started watching.

1. It’s a lot of content. Pace yourself.

Here’s the truth. Campaign One is over 400 hours long. That’s longer than Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones, and your last five unfinished Netflix shows combined. It’s not meant to be binged in a weekend. I can’t even remember when I started watching Critical Role the first time.

Doug told me about this show where a bunch of voice actors played D&D and I tried to watch it once but couldn’t get into it. We’d just had our second kid. I’d started a new job. Life was loud. But then something clicked, maybe routine, maybe timing, and I fell in love. I ignored a lot around the house (Just ask Manda). It took me forever to catch up. I didn’t catch a live episode until ‘Omens’ episode 39. From then on, I was hooked.”

“You do not need to “watch” the show, just listen.”

Pro tip: Make it part of your routine; commutes, workouts, chores. Let it be your comfort noise. You do not need to “watch” the show, just listen. The players, and of course Matt, do an amazing job describing what they are doing. Yes, you might miss the occasional wink from Vex’ahlia, but that’s about it. Even if you’re here for the maps, Matt didn’t really get fancy until the very end of campaign 1, heading into campaign 2.

2. The early episodes are rough and that’s okay.

They started as a home game, not a polished show. The audio quality? Meh. The pacing? All over the place. The rules? ...flexible. But stick with it. By the time the story gets rolling, you'll fall in love with these characters. Flaws, quirks, and all. Give yourself permission to not “get it” right away. You’re watching real people figure it out too. We make several comments in the podcast about where they flub the rules crossing over from Pathfinder to D&D. To be honest though, the home game vibe is one of the things that I love most about Critical Role. You can tell immediately that these are a group of friends that love each other and want to tell an awesome story. They just happen to be sitting in front of a camera. The fact that they voice actors is just an added bonus. I think that’s where some of the other actual plays fall short, their friendship, but that’s an article for another time.

3. Don’t do it alone. Take a friend with you.

Campaign One is so much fun. There are ups and there are downs. There are plot hooks and twists. When I watched I didn’t have anyone to talk to about it. Something would happen during the show and I would want to immediately run out and tell my wife about it.

“So Vax threw his dagger and hit the beholder then Vex rolled a nat 20, ran up those daggers and leapt into the air with her bow shooting a lightning arrow! It was soo cool”

::blank stare::

At this point my wife was used to my nerdom, but it’s not the same when the other person doesn’t follow the same show.

(Shameless plug) We are happy to be that person with you. You can listen to Vox Rewatch where we nerd out about our favorite moments from campaign one.

4. It’s more than just dice rolls. It’s emotional.

You will cry. You will laugh. You will shout at your speakers. Because this show is a masterclass in character development, storytelling, and found family. It’s easy to get invested like, "I-need-therapy-for-this-fictional-death" invested.

Even for the lighter stuff. I remember being so mad at some of the choices that players would make. It wasn’t uncommon to hear “C’mon Keyleth!” coming from my office or think that Matt is a sadist just trying to kill his party. In the end, it’s just a game, but I can honestly say I’ve never laughed or cried so hard watching anything else.

5. Don’t try to memorize everything just vibe.

There are a million NPC names, homebrew rules, and callbacks. Don’t stress if you miss something, the joy of Critical Role is in the journey, not the trivia. If you’re like me you might be a little nerdy (just a little). I wanted to know every piece of lore that came out of these early episodes. It wasn’t until campaign 2 where I realized it’s ok to not know everything. Heck, even the players don’t remember everything. It’s not unheard of to hear Matt say “You remember…” as he explains to the party something they forgot from 10 sessions prior. The important stuff is recapped. And Marisha’s note keeping is ON POINT. There are a million things to admire about her, but that is definitely one of them.

Final Thoughts

Critical Role isn’t just a show, it’s a phenomenon, and getting into it can feel like joining a fandom, learning a game, and reading an epic fantasy novel all at once. But it’s also one of the most rewarding storytelling experiences out there. Just take it one nat 20 at a time.